<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>The Show Pony by TheSpyder</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25042864">The Show Pony</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSpyder/pseuds/TheSpyder'>TheSpyder</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:49:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>840</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25042864</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSpyder/pseuds/TheSpyder</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>HMS Harmony Discord Prompt: HHR go to Slughorn’s party together.</p><p>Other title: “Hi, have you met Hermione?”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hermione Granger/Harry Potter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>118</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>HMS Harmony Discord Drabbles</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Show Pony</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>‘You don’t have to look so smug Harry, honestly,’ Hermione said glaring without any real heat behind the look or words. She had rather enjoyed Harry’s game the past hour, but it would not do to encourage such antics from him. </p><p>He did indeed have a rather smug grin, which he tried to hide behind his mug of mulled cider. Giving it up as a bad job, Harry lowered the mug and continued to look pleased with himself. His grin only got wider as Hermione’s show of disapproval was cracking against her will. Her eyes sparkling and a corner of her mouth kept threatening to twitch up.</p><p>‘Well if Slughorn didn’t try to keep parading me about like some show pony...”</p><p>Hermione scoffed, cutting him off. ‘So you decided to use me as the show pony instead?’</p><p>He shrugged, his grin not withering under what Harry could tell was false ire from her. ‘Seemed like a good idea, and it worked really well.’</p><p>‘That’s not the point...’</p><p>‘Besides of the two us, you are the impressive one. Those people should be more interested in you than me!’</p><p>Harry’s defense of his ploy brought Hermione up short. The vehemence in which he said it, and the sincerity as he looked at her made all of her pretenses of continuing to scold him disappear. Instead she felt a bit vulnerable and self-conscious under the praise.</p><p>She broke eye contact, needing to escape the intensity of Harry’s green eyes. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she looked back at him. ‘Still Slughorn was not too pleased, finally stopped trying with you and grabbed someone else.’</p><p>‘Could care less about pleasing Slughorn,’ Harry replied and before Hermione could scold him for being disrespectful to a professor continued. ‘Besides of what... a dozen people we met, half looked like they wanted to offer you a job and more than that said they want to keep up a correspondence with you.’</p><p>‘You’re exaggerating Harry,’ Hermione replied taking a sip of her own cider.</p><p>‘Am not, that woman on the board of the Arithmancy Honor Society looked astounded at the conversation and theories you two were discussing. Almost all of which flew over my head... Slughorn’s too for that matter, probably part of the reason he got upset.’</p><p>Hermione felt her cheeks redden and all of a sudden the room felt hotter. ‘You kept up well enough Harry, especially for someone who hasn’t taken the subject. How did you even know to bring up Appleton’s 8th law of numerical sequencing and that I find it unnecessarily over complex?’</p><p>‘Well I remember you complaining about it in the common room one time while Ron and I were playing chess,’ Harry explained like it was the most mundane thing in the world.</p><p>Hermione’s mouth dropped momentarily startled, ‘Harry! It was early fifth year when my class covered that, and I was more talking to myself than to you or Ron. I didn’t even think either of you were paying attention.’</p><p>‘I always pay attention when you talk Hermione,’ Harry said tilting his head slightly not understanding her confusion.</p><p>She just stood there on the other side of the table from Harry, not sure how to respond to the easy confession he just made. Hermione finally asked hesitantly, ‘Why are you always doing that Harry?’</p><p>‘Doing what?’</p><p>‘Making me feel important, complimenting me and talking me up like you did to everybody Slughorn introduced us to?’ Hermione asked a little unsteady and her fingers fidgeting a bit on the table.</p><p>‘Besides thinking those people might be interested in getting to know the future Minister for Magic you mean?’ Harry quipped hoping to defuse what was starting to feel like a tense moment.</p><p>‘Harry!’ Hermione rebuked lightly.</p><p>He ran his hand through his dark hair, messing up the half successful attempt at styling it a bit. ‘I don’t know Hermione, you’re brilliant why wouldn’t I tell people about that? Especially when they want to make over about me for things that either are not true or I don’t know how it happened. As I said earlier, of the two of us you are the impressive one and people should know that.’</p><p>She looked down at the table whispering, ‘Why are things easier with you?’</p><p>‘What was that?’ Harry asked not hearing her.</p><p>Hermione looked up seemed to be gathering herself and coming to a conclusion. Slowly Hermione reached over and took his hand, trying to look resolute but Harry could tell whatever she was planning to say next she was completely unsure of herself.</p><p>Harry could feel Hermione run her thumb back and forth over the back of his hand, not sure if the gesture was to calm him, her, or the both of them. Finally she spoke, ‘You say I am brilliant, but during this conversation I have come to the conclusion I have rather been an idiot about something lately... well maybe for awhile actually. Harry I have a question and rather scary proposition for you.’</p><p>Fin</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>